K-State Electronic Theses, Dissertations, and Reports: 2004 -
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2097/4
This is the collection for doctoral dissertations and masters theses and reports submitted electronically by K-State students. Electronic submission of doctoral dissertations was required beginning Fall semester 2006. Electronic submission for masters theses and reports was required beginning Fall 2007. The collection also contains some dissertations, theses, and reports from the years 2004 and 2005 that were submitted during a pilot test project. Some items before 2004 have been digitized and are available in K-State Electronic Theses, Dissertations, and Reports: pre-2004. Check the Library catalog for dissertations, theses, and reports not found in these collections.
All items included in this collection have been approved by the K-State Graduate School. More information can be found on the ETDR Information Page. Items within this collection are protected by U.S. Copyright. Copyright on each item is held by the individual author.
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Item Embargo T-TExTS (Teaching Text Expansion for Teacher Scaffolding): Enhancing text selection in high school literature through knowledge graph-based recommendation(2025) Gelal, NirmalThe selection of diverse, thematically aligned literature is a significant challenge for high school English teachers due to limited time and resources. This study presents T-TExTS, a knowledge graph-based recommendation system designed to address this problem by scaffolding educators in their text selection process. We constructed a domain-specific ontology using KNowledge Acquisition and Representation Methodology (KNARM), which was then instantiated into a knowledge graph to power the recommendation engine. Our core contribution is a comparative analysis of two graph embedding paradigms: shallow methods (DeepWalk, Biased Random Walk, and Hybrid model) and a deep method (Relational Graph Convolutional Network, R-GCN). The models were evaluated on both link prediction and recommendation ranking tasks. While the shallow DeepWalk model achieved the highest AUC for link prediction (0.9739), the deep R-GCN model proved superior for the primary tasks of recommendation ranking, outperforming other models on metrics such as Hits@10, MRR, and nDCG@10. This finding supports our hypothesis that deep embedding approaches, by capturing richer relational semantics, are better suited for recommendation tasks on knowledge-augmented datasets. The results demonstrate that T-TExTS provides an effective, ontology-driven solution to assist educators in making more informed and inclusive curricular decisions.Item Open Access Is it time for Super Prime?(2025) Effling, Chesney AlaynaUSDA Prime carcass numbers have risen steadily over the past 25 years, but the grade remains undifferentiated in value-based marketing programs. As Prime availability grows, opportunities exist to capture added value by differentiating this grade, similar to the USDA Choice grade. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate palatability characteristics of strip loin steaks from upper 2/3 Prime (Super Prime), Low Prime, Top Choice, and Low Choice across three degrees of doneness (DOD): Rare, Medium, and Well-Done. Steaks were designated for consumer evaluation, trained sensory evaluation, or objective measurements. There were no (P > 0.05) quality grade DOD interactions for any consumer or trained panel-evaluated traits. Super Prime steaks were rated higher (P < 0.05) for all sensory traits evaluated by consumers and trained panelists compared to all other grades. Low Prime, Top Choice, and Low Choice did not differ (P > 0.05) for juiciness, flavor, or overall liking, although Low Prime was more tender (P < 0.05) than Low Choice. A higher percentage (P < 0.05) of Super Prime steaks were rated as acceptable for juiciness, flavor, and overall liking than all other quality grades. Rare steaks were juicier and more tender (P < 0.05) than Medium and Well-Done steaks, while Medium and Well-Done samples were similar (P > 0.05) for those traits. There was a quality grade DOD interaction (P < 0.05) for objective tenderness and moisture measures. Across all DODs, Super Prime steaks were the lowest (P < 0.05) for WBSF. These results indicate that consumers preferred the eating quality of upper 2/3 Prime steaks over the other grades evaluated and supports the opportunity for a premium program within the Prime grade, offering the beef industry a valuable opportunity to capture added value from this highest grade within beef.Item Embargo Kinase-mediated regulation of CryAB in muscle: from NUAK-dependent signaling to extracellular vesicle–driven amyloid secretion(2025) Zhao, ZiweiThis thesis examines the role of NUAK kinase and CryAB in muscle proteostasis, addressing two key questions: (1) how does NUAK activity prevent protein aggregation, and (2) how do pathogenic CryAB alleles perturb proteostasis and promote amyloidogenesis? NUAK is a member of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) family, a conserved group of serine/threonine kinases with broad regulatory functions. To define the requirement for NUAK catalytic activity, I introduced point mutations at residues essential for phosphotransfer activity. Three independent loss-of-function alleles abolished enzymatic activity, leading to aberrant protein accumulation and progressive muscle degeneration, thereby establishing NUAK kinase activity as indispensable for muscle integrity. A prior yeast two-hybrid screen identified a physical interaction between NUAK and CryAB. To test whether CryAB is a direct substrate, I overexpressed NUAK, which enriched for phosphorylated CryAB species. Mass spectrometry of HA-tagged CryAB purified from muscle tissue identified serines 68 and 70 as phosphorylation targets. Alanine substitutions at these positions eliminated the modification, confirming NUAK- dependent regulation of CryAB through site-specific phosphorylation. The second half of this work delineates how CryAB pathogenic mutations perturb proteostasis and promote inclusion formation. Mutational analyses revealed two phenotypic classes: conventional aggregates and distinct inclusion-like structures. CryAB aggregates colocalized with canonical protein quality control markers including ubiquitin, p62/SQSTM1, and Bag3, consistent with impaired proteostasis. In contrast, CryAB inclusions were characterized by a unique association with desmin, extracellular vesicle (EV)-associated proteins (Rab27, CD81, Alix, TSG101), and localized preferentially at fiber peripheries. Transmission electron microscopy and Congo red staining confirmed that these inclusions are amyloidogenic. Preliminary genetic perturbations demonstrated that depletion of EV biogenesis components in CryAB mutant flies reduced both the size and abundance of amyloid inclusions, implicating EV pathways in their assembly. Collectively, these findings define NUAK as a critical kinase that maintains muscle proteostasis through phosphorylation of CryAB and establish that pathogenic CryAB mutations induce amyloidogenic inclusions whose formation is modulated by extracellular vesicle pathways. This work uncovers new mechanisms linking kinase signaling, molecular chaperones, and vesicle biology to amyloid pathology in muscle disease.Item Embargo Visual quality assessment of plant-based meat products using deep learning(2025) Aljishi, Abdullah Mohammed MThe growing demand for plant-based meat alternatives has heightened the need for robust quality control systems to ensure visual and structural consistency. Traditional quality assessment methods rely heavily on human inspection, which can be subjective, time-consuming, and prone to variability. This thesis investigates the use of deep learning techniques, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), to automate the visual quality assessment of plant-based meat products. A modified ResNet-18 model, pre-trained on ImageNet, was fine-tuned to perform regression on expert-provided quality scores. The dataset consists of high-resolution images labeled by human evaluators, covering a range of visual characteristics such as color, surface texture, and structural uniformity. Data preprocessing included resizing, normalization, and augmentation to improve model robustness. The model was trained using a combination of optimization techniques, including the Adam optimizer, learning rate scheduling, and regularization strategies like dropout and weight decay. Performance was evaluated using standard regression metrics, including Mean Squared Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and R². The overall effectiveness of the proposed convolutional neural network (CNN) model was demonstrated in terms of all these measures, suggesting that deep learning can be effectively applied to quality assessment tasks in plant-based meat production. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using deep learning for visual quality assessment in food production. By automating the evaluation process, the proposed approach has the potential to improve consistency, reduce labor costs, and support scalable quality control in the plant-based food industry.Item Open Access Enhancing literacy through picture-word interventions: A mixed methods study on English learners in southwestern Kansas(2025) Struzik, EugeneThis quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of the Picture Word Induction Model (PWIM) on vocabulary, comprehension, and literacy attitudes among fifth-grade English Learners at Sunrise Elementary School, a pseudonym for a rural school in southwest Kansas. Employing a convergent parallel mixed methods design, the study integrated quantitative assessments and qualitative interviews to provide a comprehensive evaluation of PWIM’s influence on literacy outcomes, attitudes, and engagement. The study included 44 fifth-grade English Learners who participated in an eight-week PWIM intervention. Quantitative data were collected using FastBridge assessments and the Garfield Reading Attitude Survey. The Garfield data revealed statistically significant gains in both recreational (z = 4.04, p < .001) and academic (z = 3.62, p < .001) reading attitudes, while FastBridge results showed descriptive improvements in vocabulary and comprehension that were not statistically significant within the study’s timeframe. The qualitative strand consisted of semi-structured interviews with 17 focal participants. Analysis indicated that students developed greater confidence in reading aloud, shifting from fear and avoidance to increased willingness to volunteer and persist when encountering unfamiliar words. PWIM also reduced resistance to writing tasks by providing scaffolded vocabulary entry points, encouraged reading habits beyond school, and supported higher engagement and enjoyment of literacy activities. Taken together, these findings suggest that PWIM contributed meaningfully to attitudinal and confidence growth, creating more positive literacy identities for English Learners, even though measurable achievement effects were not yet statistically significant. The study highlights the potential of PWIM as a visually scaffolded and student-centered instructional model that can foster both affective and behavioral shifts in literacy, with implications for future research and classroom practice in linguistically diverse settings.Item Open Access A case study about community college support practices for first-year, first-generation community college student-athletes(2025) Worrels, DerrickAbstract The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) oversees athletics at 525 community colleges, involving approximately 70,000 student-athletes annually. Many of these athletes are first-generation college students (FGCSs), a demographic that constitutes almost two thirds of all students at two-year institutions. However, data on the percentage of first-generation student-athletes at community colleges are scarce. These students often come from low-income families with limited exposure to higher education and face unique challenges, including academic preparedness, time management, financial constraints, and social integration. Despite their recruitment for athletic performance, many first-year, first-generation student-athletes fail to persist beyond their first year. The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to gain an understanding of the college support practices provided by community colleges to enhance the involvement of first-year, first-generation student-athletes. Findings revealed that while general support systems exist for student-athletes, few practices are tailored specifically to FGCSAs. Themes that emerged across institutional departments included the need for improved data tracking, expanded mental health services, mentoring from coaches and peers, and the benefits of programs like TRIO and intrusive advising. Faculty, staff, and leadership cited a strong culture of care and collaboration, though acknowledged gaps in targeted support and disaggregated data collection. Recommendations include the implementation of FGCSA-specific advising, structured mentoring programs, and partnerships to extend wraparound support services beyond the athletic sphere.Item Open Access A post COVID-19 pandemic exploration of teaching strategies, attitudes, and values of Southern California community college faculty(2025) Abril, MariOn March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 virus unexpectedly became a global pandemic, forcing the World Health Organization (WHO) to take dramatic action to prevent the spread of the virus and disrupt education forever. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, educational institutions were quarantined to avoid spreading the virus, forcing students and faculty to move to fully online instruction. The forced transition to fully online instruction was hard for many people. Students stopped coming to class, faculty chose to retire or leave altogether, and colleges struggled to provide services to students and faculty. Further impacting faculty and adult learners were the unforeseen emergencies and crises during the pandemic, including employment and economic loss, displacement, eviction, homelessness, loss of family members due to COVID-19, and medical emergencies (Walker, 2021). Closing campuses and moving to remote learning caused a spectrum of psychological consequences, including fear, loneliness, overthinking, sleeplessness, and stress, giving rise to a heightened sense of uncertainty (Zhai & Du, 2020). All forms of in-person participation, like graduations, public forums, athletic competitions, and social organizations, were also canceled, raising concerns about how communities and leaders perceived the campus and its role as town-gown relations shifted (Bristow, 2016). Faculty who continued teaching during this challenging time needed to take extra steps to maintain communication, collaboration, and students' emotional engagement with the learning community. This qualitative study explored the experiences of community college faculty in Southern California who taught during the COVID-19 pandemic. It examined how faculty participants adapted their teaching methods, attitudes, and educational values in response to the sudden transition to fully online instruction. Additionally, it included what new technologies faculty used in their classes and their perspectives on teaching evolved during this unprecedented shift as well as the future of online education. Findings from the two research questions revealed that faculty adapted to online teaching by using new technology and implementing strategies to engage students in their online classes better. They updated their syllabi with online etiquette, mental health resources, and digital tools. Many allowed late work and practiced holistic grading, valuing participation and improvement over traditional grading. Faculty used platforms like TechConnect Zoom and Canvas to increase interaction and foster connectivity in a distance education environment. The research findings also indicated that while faculty participants' core values remained steady, their attitudes and teaching philosophies shifted significantly during the pandemic, especially with those who had never taught online. Faculty became more empathetic and flexible by prioritizing student well-being and adapting their teaching practices to address new challenges such as student anxiety, isolation, and access to technology. The transition to online education prompted many faculty to innovate and reconsider their approaches to inclusivity and support for students. Despite ongoing tensions about teaching modalities, faculty maintained high standards and a commitment to professional development, demonstrating resilience and a renewed focus on understanding students' lives beyond the classroom. Higher education has changed, become more student-centered, innovative, and online. College faculty are teaching more online and hybrid classes while new polices address distance education, generative artificial intelligence, digital literacy, and access to resources. Ongoing professional development is essential for faculty to stay current and adapt to these changes. The research also revealed several key topics that merit further investigation to deepen the understanding of faculty, students, and institutional experiences in the post-pandemic era. These topics included disciplinary differences in teaching practices, variations in faculty adaptation, post-pandemic student retention and success, equity impacts related to gender and race, student adaptation to teaching changes, post-pandemic administrative and staff work changes, campus climate and faculty engagement, theoretical perspectives on educational change, evolution of learning paradigms, faculty employment patterns, shared governance and faculty voice, and teaching modality and student success.Item Open Access Growth of hexagonal boron nitride from molten nickel solutions: a reactive molecular dynamics study(2025) Ahmadisharaf, AminMetal flux methods are excellent for synthesizing high-quality hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) crystals, but the atomic mechanisms of hBN nucleation and growth in these systems are poorly understood and difficult to probe experimentally. Here, we harness classical reactive molecular dynamics (ReaxFF) to unravel the mechanisms of hBN synthesis from liquid nickel solvent over time scales up to 30 ns. These simulations mimic experimental conditions by including relatively large liquid nickel slabs containing dissolved boron and a molecular nitrogen gas phase. Overall, the reaction takes place almost exclusively on the surface of the liquid nickel, owing to the low solubility of nitrogen in bulk nickel and the intermediate species’ preference for the metal–gas interface. The formation of hBN invariably begins by reaction of dinitrogen with nickel-solvated boron atoms at the surface, forming intermediate N–N–B species, which typically evolve into B–N–B units through a short-lived intermediate where a single nitrogen atom is coordinated by one nitrogen and two boron atoms. The resulting B–N–B units, in turn, coalesce with growing hBN nuclei and carry nitrogen between hBN nanocrystals in an Ostwald ripening process. The amount of hBN produced on the tens of nanosecond time scale depends critically on the boron concentration, while having a much weaker dependence on the N2 pressure for the regime considered (N2 pressures of 2.5–10 MPa, Ni-B solutions with 6–12% boron by atom fraction). The highest rate of hBN formation occurs at the lowest temperature considered (1750 K, just above the melting point of nickel), while no hBN sheets are formed at 2000 K or above. An analysis of the transition pathways for nitrogen atoms shows that the final step, incorporation of small B–N motifs into larger hBN sheets, is the rate-limiting step in the regimes considered. While raising the temperature from 1750 to 2000 K has little effect on the formation of intermediates (N–N–B, B–N–B, etc.), the lack of large hBN sheets at temperatures >1900 K is explained by decreased probability of the final step and increased probability of break-up of hBN into B–N motifs.Item Open Access Residue profiles and therapeutic applications of unapproved anti-inflammatory drugs in cattle(2025) Fritz, Bailey RenéeDisease and routine management procedures result in cattle regularly experiencing pain, inflammation, or stress. The ‘Five Domains’ animal welfare paradigm establishes that animals should have freedom from pain, injury, and disease and freedom to express normal behaviors. Effectively managing pain and inflammation due to disease and management procedures can meet these basic welfare needs. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and glucocorticoids are commonly used to treat pain, inflammation, and stress. Because there are few approved anti-inflammatory drug options for cattle in the United States, veterinarians must use drugs in an extra-label manner in certain situations. However, for extra-label drug use (ELDU) to be legal, veterinarians must determine a conservative withdrawal interval (WDI) to avoid violative residues in edible tissues and ensure the treated animal does not enter the food chain prior to the end of that period. Variability in animal populations – whether due to age, breed, physiologic status, or disease state—can alter the pharmacokinetics of drugs. Thus, it is prudent to generate data to enable estimation of WDI for drugs in healthy populations and those of interest for a particular drug regimen. Industrial hemp (IH) is being evaluated in cattle as a novel, sustainable feed source and for possible therapeutic applications. Inclusion of IH in cattle feed or as a drug is currently illegal, in part due to concerns over the transfer of cannabinoids into edible tissues. However, data supporting tissue cannabinoid concentrations and therapeutic effects of IH are of interest to both promote and inform its approval as a feed ingredient. This dissertation begins with a review of unapproved anti-inflammatory drugs pharmacokinetics and current IH research in cattle. Further chapters discuss residue depletion profiles for salicylic acid in milk following aspirin treatment in cows and for cannabinoids in tissues following IH administration in steers. Additional pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic considerations for IH in cattle are explored through (1) evaluation of the effects of IH and repeated transportation events on measures of stress and inflammation and (2) description of the plasma cannabinoid profile after long-term IH administration. Salicylic acid was detected in the milk and WDI were estimated for treated cows. Results indicated that a 120 h to 156 h WDI may be appropriate; this is longer than the previous 24-hour recommendation. Following aspirin administration, prostaglandin production was reduced for up to 12 h. When this aspirin report was initially published, extra-label aspirin use was common in dairy cattle and the FDA used enforcement discretion in not pursuing action against administration of unapproved, over-the-counter marketed products. However, concerns with mass aspirin treatment of dairy cows during the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak have since prompted prohibition of extra-label aspirin use. Following administration of IH inflorescence to Holstein steers, a variety of cannabinoids, including the psychoactive Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (9-THC) and the bioactive cannabidiol (CBD), were detected in tissues. Both CBD and 9-THC accumulated in adipose tissue. Slow depletion of some cannabinoids resulted in WDI estimates with a large degree of extrapolation. Exposure estimates for human consumers demonstrated that a single demographic (newborns) exceeded the most conservative international toxicity threshold for 9-THC. Additional research should establish safe thresholds of cannabinoids in younger (vulnerable) demographics. Results showed that IH administration, in a complex relationship with transportation and time, may reduce prostaglandin E2 metabolites (a measure of inflammation). Transported cattle had increased activity during transportation. However, both transported and non-transported cattle lay down more following the return of the transported group. Transport elicited changes in blood parameters and cortisol that are consistent with previous reports. These data will enable the design of impactful future studies regarding IH use in cattle. During long-term IH administration, predominantly acidic cannabinoids were detected in plasma. (−)-7-nor-7-carboxy cannabidiol (CBD-7-acid) reached the highest concentrations and depleted the most slowly after cessation of IH administration. A handful of cannabinoids, including CBD-7-acid, were detected in cattle not receiving IH. This suggests that cattle not receiving IH could have detectable cannabinoid concentrations in the blood if cohoused with animals that are exposed to IH. In conclusion, our results provided information for generation of WDI following administration of aspirin to lactating cows. Our data provide information on target tissues and marker residues for post-slaughter surveillance and a suggest a promising candidate for ante-mortem testing of IH exposure. Treatment with IH may reduce some inflammatory markers. Further work should continue to evaluate the food safety profile of cattle exposed to IH as well as the potential therapeutic benefits of IH administration.Item Open Access Behavioral intentions of Saudi female students in the College of Computer Science and Engineering at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia toward using mobile computer devices in their learning(2025) Alnehari, NaifThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making crucial progress and development in all fields, including education, as it develops higher education to compete globally. Among these strategies is the effective integration of technology into the educational environment, a key goal of Vision 2030. The spread of mobile computer devices among students has proven effective in student learning. However, there is still a lack of studies about the effectiveness of these mobile computer devices in higher education, especially among Saudi female students. Therefore, processes are involved before integrating any technology into the educational environment; one is to understand students' acceptance of these devices in their learning journey. Thus, the purpose of this study is to predict the behavioral intention of Saudi female students in the College of Computer Science and Engineering at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia to learn with mobile computer devices based on the constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003). This study employed a quantitative, non-experimental survey design to collect data. The number of responses received was 134; 127 were valid. The multiple linear regression analysis was administered to answer the research questions. The results revealed that effort expectancy and social influence were significantly associated with the female Saudi students' behavioral intentions toward using mobile computer devices in their learning (β = 0.444, p < 0.001; β = 0.174, p = 0.033). Performance expectancy had no statistically significant relationship with the behavioral intentions of Saudi female students regarding the use of mobile computer devices (β = 0.108, p = 0.232). In addition, multiple linear regression results were presented, showing that the model accounted for 39% of the variance in the behavioral intentions of Saudi female students regarding the use of mobile computer devices in their learning. The current study also revealed some challenges students face when using mobile computer devices for learning. These include classroom infrastructure issues, such as limited Internet access and low-quality hardware, as well as battery and device performance problems when downloading files and applications. Additionally, some educational websites and content were incompatible with these devices. Based on these findings, the current study provides recommendations for future research and for improving educational practices when integrating mobile computer devices.Item Open Access Navigating academic momentum: Investigating the policies, practices, and perceptions pertaining to a dual enrollment program that is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships(2025) Gayle, MichaelThis qualitative case study examines the policies, practices, and stakeholder perceptions of a dual enrollment program at a two-year community college accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). Using Adelman’s (2006) model of academic momentum as the theoretical framework and the NACEP standards as a conceptual guide, the study explores how such accreditation influences program design, implementation, and student outcomes. The research focuses on one Midwestern institution, analyzing document artifacts and conducting interviews with eight stakeholders including faculty, counselors, and administrators. Findings reveal that NACEP accreditation provides structural clarity and academic rigor, while stakeholder collaboration enhances student access, retention, and success. Key themes include governance, curriculum alignment, faculty credentialing, evaluation strategies, and equitable outreach. The study concludes that an intentionally structured dual enrollment program can foster academic momentum by enabling students to earn transferable credits, adapt to postsecondary environments, and graduate on accelerated timelines. Recommendations highlight the need for dedicated advising, improved enrollment systems, and broader access strategies to expand program efficacy.Item Open Access Pain modeling and NSAID pharmacology in meat-type goats: Development, comparative efficacy, and pharmacokinetics(2025) Weeder, MikaelaIn recent years, there has been a growing trend among consumers of animal products to prioritize the ethical treatment of animals. Most animal products are derived from food-producing animals, including but not limited to cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, and goats. Ensuring the ethical treatment of food animals includes addressing a range of animal welfare concerns, including pain recognition and pain alleviation. Pain responses in livestock animals are often challenging to interpret and assess objectively due to their complex nature and the inherent stoicism of prey animal species. This stoicism, while adaptive for survival, complicates the recognition and effective treatment of pain in food animal species, making pain management a significant welfare and veterinary challenge. Goats have become increasingly popular in recent years, both as companion animals and for production purposes. However, compared to other livestock species, the timely and accurate recognition and treatment of pain in goats remains limited. Painful events in goats commonly arise from routine husbandry procedures such as disbudding and castration, as well as from health conditions like lameness or mastitis. While these events are challenging, effective pain management is essential for ensuring positive animal welfare and optimizing productivity. Efficient and timely pain management not only ensures the ethical treatment of livestock animals like goats but also helps address growing concerns among consumers of animal products regarding animal welfare. This dissertation presents a comprehensive evaluation of three amphotericin B-induced lameness models to develop a reliable and repeatable transient synovitis model in meat-type goats. A species-specific grimace scoring system for goats is also introduced to support behavioral pain assessment. The analgesic efficacy of firocoxib and meloxicam is assessed following surgical castration in meat-type goats. Additionally, the effectiveness of firocoxib, meloxicam, and transdermal flunixin, each administered at three different dosages, is evaluated after lameness induction with amphotericin B, using both behavioral assessments and pain-specific biomarkers. Finally, the pharmacokinetic profiles of firocoxib, meloxicam, and transdermal flunixin at varying dosages are reported using descriptive statistical analyses. The results indicate that an amphotericin B lameness model, using a dose of 5 mg/0.25 mL, is a reliable and repeatable method for inducing transient synovitis in meat-type goats for research purposes. Pain assessment tools, including Visual Lameness Scoring (VLS), Visual Analogue Scoring (VAS), and Grimace Scoring, consistently indicated that lameness is a painful condition in goats. Additionally, the Grimace Scoring System developed specifically for evaluating facial expressions in goats during this study proved to be a successful tool for assessing pain-related grimacing behavior. Our results suggest that pain experienced by male goats during surgical castration may be effectively alleviated through the administration of oral meloxicam. The current study provides evidence that surgical castration is a painful husbandry procedure for goats, as demonstrated by multiple pain assessment methods, including kinetic gait analysis, plasma cortisol levels, and Visual Analogue Scoring (VAS). Kinetic gait analysis revealed altered weight distribution, with reduced weight-bearing in the rear limbs compared to the front limbs following castration. Plasma cortisol concentrations peaked immediately after castration but decreased following analgesic intervention. Additionally, VAS scores were consistently higher at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-castration in goats treated with firocoxib compared to those treated with meloxicam or control goats, suggesting meloxicam may offer more effective pain relief. In goats with experimentally induced lameness, analgesic interventions with transdermal flunixin at 3.3 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg were effective in reducing pain. Among treatments, the Mechanical Nociception Threshold (MNT) difference between lame and sound limbs was lowest in the high-dose transdermal flunixin group (5.0 mg/kg), indicating effective analgesia. Kinetic gait parameters, including stance time, stride length, peak force, and contact force, showed the smallest differences between lame and sound limb comparisons in the low-and high-dose transdermal flunixin groups (3.3mg/kg and 5.0mg/kg). Visual Lameness Scores (VLS) were reported to be lowest in the low-dose flunixin group on average (3.3 mg/kg), while Visual Analogue Scores (VAS) were lowest in the high-dose group on average (5.0 mg/kg). Descriptive pharmacokinetic data were collected for firocoxib, meloxicam, and transdermal flunixin at three dosage levels for each drug. To conclude, these results indicate that pain-associated outcome measures previously used in livestock species such as cattle are also effective in assessing pain in goats. There is a clear animal welfare benefit for meat goats that receive analgesia prior to or during painful procedures, such as surgical castration or treatment for lameness. Further research is warranted to investigate species-specific pain indicators relevant to goats, and to optimize analgesic strategies for managing pain during procedures like castration or in cases of lameness. Such studies will help provide more effective pain control options for meat-type goats.Item Open Access Geochronological and mineralizing fluid constraints associated with the Washita Valley Fault System(2025) Rickert, JamesAbstract The Arbuckle Mountains, Oklahoma, correspond to an inverted aulacogen uplifted during the Pennsylvanian (320-290 Ma). The Arbuckle Mountains are affected by a large-scale strike-slip fault system: the Pennsylvanian Washita Valley Fault System. Based on stable (O, C) and radiogenic Strontium isotope approaches on carbonate rocks and veins, previous studies have attempted to resolve the syn-tectonic diagenetic and paleo fluid-flow history of the Arbuckle Mountains. Results from these studies suggest that the diagenetic alteration of carbonate exposed within the Arbuckle Mountains was dominated by meteoric fluid structurally channelized along fault systems. Although the principal tectonic phase is linked to the Pennsylvanian Arbuckle Orogeny, two other deformation events have been documented on the field, suggesting a long lasting and complicated tectonic history, opening debate about the exact timing of the sinistral Washita Valley Fault System and its related paleo-fluid flow. To resolve the exact timing of the Washita Valley Fault System activity, we performed detailed field-based structural analysis coupled with in-situ U-Pb analyses on fault related carbonate veins. In addition, we used conventional O and C stable, and ∆47 clumped isotope analyses on carbonate veins and their direct host rocks to document the associated fluid-related alteration. Our preliminary results suggest that the Washita Valley Fault was active during Early Cretaceous (140-109 Ma), contradicting previously proposed Pennsylvanian ages (320-290 Ma) estimated by either stratigraphic correlation or from seismic data interpretation. In addition, our new stable isotope data also suggest that the Washita Valley Fault System acted as an open hydrological fluid system involving marine and meteoric water at 44-68 ˚C during its activity.Item Open Access Defining affordable housing: a study of secondary and tertiary impacts to housing affordability in Habitat for Humanity clients(2025) Isola, Andrew Charles IVHousing affordability is an important topic in the United States. Many communities currently have both a shortage in housing stock and, more importantly, a shortage in affordable housing stock. Many proposed policy and practice solutions exist to ease the strain on communities caused by the lack of affordable housing. Many of the proposed solutions are economic in nature, either supply side or demand side. However, research suggests that factors that impact housing affordability are more than just economic in nature but are also social and environmental in nature. By studying Habitat for Humanity clients in the state of North Carolina, this paper defines the myriad social, environmental, and economic factors that impact housing affordability and models the interactions between these factors, residents, and communities. These factors can be ranked as primary, secondary, or tertiary impacts to housing affordability.Item Open Access Participatory mapping as a tool for social change: a tale of community development efforts in Northeast Kansas and Western Guatemala(2025) Jeje, Emmanuel AkinloluCompared to urban areas, small and rural communities generally face challenges such as poverty lower educational, lack of infrastructure and services and limited connectivity, (Hunsaker & Kantayya, 2010; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2016). Post and Ruelle (2021) note that challenges of rural areas highlight the need for deeper engagement between universities and communities through community-engaged scholarship (CES). Cinderby (2010) describe participatory mapping as crucial for fostering collaboration and engagement among diverse community members and stakeholders. However, it is difficult to achieve collaborative action in small and rural areas due to prevailing challenges in these areas (White & Boyle, 2021). If small and rural communities continue to underutilize collaborative actions that CES and participatory mapping potentially bring, these rural areas are more likely to miss out on the social change and transformative benefits of collaborative relationships and such areas will fall behind in terms of community development. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how local dynamics, individual reflections and collective experience shape engagement in social change through participatory mapping processes in small and rural communities. To address this purpose, this study examined the experiences of 13 local residents in two small and rural communities—Ogden, Kansas in the United States and Panajachel, Sololá in Guatemala. The research gap addressed is a general paucity of literature exploring how to use participatory mapping in rural CES projects (McCall & Dunn, 2011). Most studies on CES are conducted in non-rural contexts where resources, infrastructure, and digital literacy are higher (Sutin & Bethea, 2015). There is a general lack of studies exploring how participatory mapping and CES can be integrated to contribute to positive social change and community development in small and rural communities. The qualitative research approach was guided by an interpretivist perspective, and I conducted this exploratory multiple case inquiry through the lenses of the social change, innovation, and technology and social change leadership framework. The study participants were purposively selected from local citizens, business proprietors, civic leaders and community organizations representatives who had previously participated in the participatory mapping process facilitated in Ogden and Panajachel preceding this study. I conducted semi-structured interviews with four participants in Ogden and seven participants in Panajachel. Two rounds of one focus group discussion were conducted in Ogden, Kansas and it consisted of six participants and two rounds of focus groups comprising seven participants were conducted in Panajachel. The qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis, chiefly the inductive approach. The major findings of the study illustrated that in the small and rural communities of Ogden, Kansas and Panajachel, Guatemala, there are historically low levels of collaboration among community members and leadership challenges (lack of clear purpose, vision and passion, lack of knowledge and skills, lack of effective communication) and lack of resources pose as challenges to collaboration and any efforts designed to bring social change. The findings demonstrate understanding the purpose of collaboration, effective communication, motivated community members, community advocates, and inclusivity are critical pre-conditions that should prevail for successful collaboration and participatory mapping process. The findings showed that the participatory mapping processes contributed to capacity building at both community level (community awareness and knowledge acquisition) and individual levels (empowerment, decision-making, knowledge and experience acquisition). Based on the findings the recommendations provided include ((a) institutionalize participatory mapping in community mapping process, (b) advocacy and mobilization, (c) develop community structures to act as center of collaboration and engagement, (d) intentionally involve people that are disengaged in community development.Item Open Access Developing an experimental paradigm for the study of loot boxes(2025) Hancock, Patrick McMillenLoot boxes are lucrative random reward systems prominently featured in the modern video game industry. Psychological research on loot boxes has relied primarily on self-report correlational studies, which have found concerning similarities between loot boxes and gambling that warrant further study in an experimental paradigm. However, loot boxes may also serve as a model to better understand human operant conditioning, which often fails to replicate the results of animal learning studies. In pursuit of both of these goals, we drew from the cognitive decision-making and operant conditioning literature to develop an experimental paradigm for the study of loot boxes. In two experiments, the paradigm was used to investigate how different reinforcement schedules (fixed-ratio, variable-ratio, and random-ratio) and schedule variability (Study 1), as well as variable reinforcement magnitude (Study 2), influenced players' decisions to open loot boxes. Participants in Study 1 initially opened loot boxes more on highly variable schedules, but the effect was short-lived. Study 2 found no effects of variable magnitude on loot box opening decisions. Although we failed to find support for any of our hypotheses, we discuss a number of modifications that can be made to the paradigm in future studies.Item Open Access Pollinators in a changing world: climate change and grazing impacts on bee communities(2025) Brunette, August JamesPollinators face many threats today including habitat loss and fragmentation, increased pesticide usage, and new pathogens. Climate change can accentuate these threats through increased temperatures, expanded arid areas, and more frequent and intense extreme weather events. Additionally, grasslands are among the world’s most imperiled ecosystems, and bees in the prairies of Kansas face a variety of challenges. Kansas prairies vary based on their management from cattle grazing as well as along a longitudinal precipitation gradient. The objectives of this work are to 1) understand the effects of climate change on pollinators and identify knowledge gaps in this field and 2) determine the effects of grazing on prairie bee communities along a precipitation gradient in Kansas. To better understand how climate change impacts pollinators we conducted a systematic review of the literature and utilized a vote-counting approach to summarize the results. We found that climate change has an overall negative impact on pollinators which includes effects like, range reductions, phenological mismatch, and reduced pollinator health and fitness. Community level effects such as abundance, richness, and diversity showed mixed responses indicating that pollinator species respond differently to climate change. To identify the effects of grazing on prairie bee communities throughout Kansas, we sampled 30 prairie sites spread across the precipitation gradient found in the state during the summer of 2023. These sites were divided evenly amongst tallgrass, shortgrass, and mixedgrass prairies. Within each prairie type, five sites were grazed and five were ungrazed. We found that bees were most impacted by grazing in the shortgrass prairies of western Kansas where grazing had the greatest effect on bee abundance and community composition. We also found that region effects usually had a stronger effect on bee communities than grazing, and that these effects were often mediated through differences in floral abundance. These findings offer insights into how a changing climate, and management practices can impact pollinators, while informing bee conservation efforts in Kansas and identifying knowledge gaps and directing future research to protect pollinators globally.Item Open Access Understanding material properties and performance enabled by molecular simulations and machine learning potentials(2025) Deng, HaoMachine learning potentials (MLPs) are being rapidly adopted to describe complex potential energy surfaces and to solve emerging materials science and engineering problems. Trained against quantum mechanical datasets, MLPs are versatile mathematical surrogates to describe various chemical and physical phenomena originating from atomistic interactions. MLPs are notably superior over classical interatomic force fields owing to their high training flexibility, efficiency, and accuracy. In this thesis, artificial neural network (ANN), sparse Gaussian process (SGP), and neural equivariant MLPs were developed and applied in the investigations of mechanical and thermodynamic behaviors of metals, main-group semiconductors, and perovskites. In Chapter 3, a high-dimensional NN potential (HDNNP) was developed for the condensed phase nickel. This HDNNP trained using the geometry and force data extracted directly from ab initio molecular dynamics can predict the melting point of face-centered cubic nickel within a few Kelvins of the true value. In Chapter 4, the thermodynamic stabilities of icosahedral boron allotropes, its phase diagram were predicted with a SGP MLP trained using an on-the-fly active learning scheme. In Chapter 5, a neural equivariant interatomic potential was employed to tackle challenges associated with the variations of elemental configurations in a high-performance air electrode perovskite (i.e., PrNi[subscript 1-δ]Co[subscript δ]O₃) for protonic ceramic electrochemical cell (PCEC) applications. MLP-based phonon calculations suggest that the Ni/Co occupancy affects lattice thermal and chemical expansions differently, impacting a tradeoff between PCEC performance and stability. In Chapter 6, the neural equivariant MLP was used to study BaZr[subscript 1-δ]Y[subscript δ]O₃ (BZY), a proton-conducting electrolyte used in PCEC assembly, paving the way to provide solutions to improve scalability of future PCEC manufacturing.Item Open Access Geomechanical, petrophysical, and mineralogical properties of limestone samples from Kansas(2025) Osorio, NelsyThe use of limestone in aggregate production and infrastructure projects necessitates a comprehensive investigation of its geomechanical and mineralogical properties across various scales and conditions. This study investigates the geomechanical properties, specifically Young’s Modulus E, in core and aggregate limestone samples from Kansas through the investigation and assessment of mineralogical and petrophysical variables. The main objectives of this study were to: (1) assess E in relation to mineralogical, petrophysical, and scale-dependent variability in Kansas limestone and (2) develop predictive models for E. For these purposes, we collected 29 1-inch and 28 2-inch limestone samples and measured E using uniaxial experiments under dry and saturated conditions. We present regression-based models in combination with decision trees that allow for the estimation of E based on water content θ and quartz content for saturated limestone samples. By comprehensively examining the geomechanical, petrophysical, and mineralogical properties of Kansas limestone cores, this study facilitates their utilization and suitability as aggregates in concrete production and various construction applications for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).Item Open Access Evaluation of oral meloxicam in beef calves with neonatal calf diarrhea(2025) Neill, HannahObjective To examine behavioral and physiologic outcomes associated with the expression of pain in calves with naturally occurring neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) and determine the impact of meloxicam administration on reducing these pain-related behaviors and outcomes. Methods Beef calves 3 to 30 days old with NCD and no comorbidities or prior NSAID or steroid administration were enrolled as clinical cases, and healthy beef calves were enrolled as controls. Clinical cases received either meloxicam (MEL group) or placebo (PLBO group) treatment; all controls received placebo. Over 7 time points, outcomes measured were substance P, prostaglandin E metabolite, mechanical nociceptive threshold, gait analysis, behavior analysis, physical examinations, and intake bloodwork. Results 20 calves with NCD and 8 healthy calves were enrolled. Prostaglandin E metabolite was significantly higher in calves with NCD than controls. Control calves were more reactive to pressure over the hip than calves with NCD, particularly those treated with meloxicam. Calves with NCD had shorter stride length and slower gait velocity compared to controls. Calves with NCD spent more time lying and more time lying with their head up compared to controls. Calves in the MEL group spent more time lying with their head down compared to PLBO calves. Conclusions Differences in mechanical nociceptive threshold, gait analysis, and lying behavior possibly indicated the presence of abdominal pain. Differences in head posture between MEL and PLBO calves suggest that calves treated with meloxicam may have been more comfortable. Clinical Relevance Calves with NCD may experience pain, and treating them with meloxicam may relieve that pain.
